SBC 2021 Annual Meeting Sets New Direction
Southern Baptists gathered in Nashville, TN, June 15-16 for the 2021 Annual Meeting. This was the first Annual Meeting in two years after the 2020 meeting was canceled due to COVID. With 15,769 registered messengers attending the 2021 meeting, this was the largest gathering of Southern Baptists at an Annual Meeting since 1995. More than 30 messengers attended representing Iowa churches.
As outgoing SBC President, J.D. Greear observed in his address to the convention,
I believe we are at a defining moment in our convention, at a crossroads. In fact, if I can be so bold, it might be the most important crossroads in our generation. Forty years ago a previous generation of Southern Baptists came to a defining moment, a moment in which they considered whether they would hold fast to the authority of God's word, whether they were going to follow the path of every other major denomination in America into the darkness of liberalism and the wilderness of cultural accommodation.
The Annual Meeting began under a cloud of controversy following the leak of two incendiary letters by former president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, Russell Moore. More resigned from the ERLC June 1 to take a position with Christianity Today and with a non-SBC church.
Moore's letters highlighted the growing conflict between the moderate wing of the SBC and the conservative wing.
Great Commission Baptists
The theme of this year's Annual Meeting was "We Are Great Commission Baptists."
During his convention address Greear noted, "My prayer is that this will be more than a theme for our annual meeting, that it will be a declaration of who we are and who we aspire to be. Our convention is a coalition of churches committed to doing whatever it takes to get the gospel to those who haven't heard it."
Election of New SBC President
A primary item of business during Day 1 of the SBC Annual Meeting was the election of a new president. J.D. Greear served a three-year term after last year's convention was cancelled.
Four men were nominated to become the new SBC president:
Randy Adams, who serves as the Executive Director of the Northwest Baptist Convention.
Ed Litton, who serves as pastor of Redemption Church in Saraland, AL.
R. Albert Mohler, who serves as president of the Souther Baptist Theological Seminary.
Mike Stone, who serves as pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Blackshear, GA.
Ed Litton was elected president in a runoff with 52 percent of the messengers voting for him versus 48 percent voting for Mike Stone. The divided election results reflect the divisions and fault lines within the SBC.
Resolutions of the Southern Baptist Convention
The Resolutions Committee, chaired by James Merritt, presented 10 resolutions to the messengers for consideration. These included,
Baptist Unity and Maintaining Our Public Witness — the priority of Christians to “walk worthy of their calling” and “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit” (Eph. 4:1–3).
On the Sufficiency of Scripture for Race and Racial Reconciliation — affirming that Scripture in “inspired by God” (2 Tim. 3:16–17) and that all people are “one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:26–28).
On Taxpayer Complicity in Abortion and the Hyde Amendment — affirms the sanctity of human life (Gen. 1:27; 9:6) and opposes the use of taxpayer money to fund abortion procedures.
On the Equality Act — affirms that God created two distinct sexes (Gen. 1:27; Matt. 19:4) and opposes the Equality Act that “seeks to revise the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by adding a prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.”
On Abuse and Pastoral Qualifications — affirms that Scripture teaches pastors, elders and overseers are to be “above reproach” (1 Tim. 3:2) and states that any person who has committed sexual abuse should be permanently disqualified from holding the office of pastor.
On Sole Membership — upholds the Southern Baptist foundational belief that each individual church member is in a “legal relationship” with the SBC and convention entities and that only the convention in session — not the Executive Committee — is the legal “sole member” of the various agencies and institutions of the convention.
On the Uyghur Genocide — denounces atrocities inflicted by the Communist Party of China against the Uyghur people.
On the Coronavirus Pandemic — expresses grief for the more than 3.78 million lives lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Appreciation for the City of Nashville — adds an extra emphasis because of how many top officials worked together to allow the SBC Annual Meeting to continue in Nashville when restrictions were still an issue up until a few weeks prior.
The messengers also voted by two-thirds majority to call one additional resolution out of committee that the Resolutions Committee chose not to present. This resolution, which passed, called for the Abolition of Abortion, immediately and without compromise.
All of the resolutions were approved by the messengers.
Critical Race Theory
Since the approval of Resolution 9 by the SBC in 2019, there has been strong disagreement over the acceptance of Critical Race Theory/Intersectionality by the convention.
According to Kimberlé Crenshaw, one of the leading scholars to develop Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality,
It is an academic discipline composed of civil-rights scholars in the United States who seek to critically examine the law to show, first, that it maintains white supremacy, white power, and enforces societal or structural racism; and, second, that transforming the relationship between law and racial power, and also achieving racial emancipation more broadly, is possible.
Many Southern Baptists have argued that CRT is incompatible with the New Testament teachings concerning racial reconciliation and the hope for true unity found through the gospel.
The Resolution Committee chose to omit any mention of Critical Race Theory in Resolution 2, which was submitted to reverse the decision of Resolution 9 in 2019 that affirmed Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality as an analytical tool to help Southern Baptist better understand racism in America.
When a motion was made from the floor to specifically address Critical Race Theory in Resolution 2, James Merritt made an impassioned statement:
It’s time to find out who we are and where we are headed. If some people were as passionate about the gospel as they were CRT, we’d win this world to Christ tomorrow.
We are all created in the image of God. We’ve been given the ministry of reconciliation. …
We are not the 2019 Resolutions Committee. We are the 2021 Resolutions Committee. We are not going to limit anything to just one thing (responding to questions about the resolution on race and racial reconciliation, see above).
What we have done in this resolution is settle this issue once and for all, yesterday today and forever. We reject any theory that the problem is anything other than sin and the solution is anything other than salvation.
There is a world watching out there and this (division about CRT) is exactly what they want.
We can either build bridges and tear down walls or we can put up walls and tear down bridges.
To build a bridge it takes hard work, sacrifice, commitment to reach to the other side but do everything we can to get them there.
IMB Sending Celebration
By many accounts, the highlight of the week happened before the Annual Meeting began. Monday, June 14, at the conclusion of the Send Conference, the International Mission Board presented 64 missionaries to be sent to foreign fields around the world.
Reflecting on the difficulties presented by the COVID pandemic and 20202, IMB President Paul Chitwood stated, "I questioned at times if we would be able to do everything that is necessary to appoint, train and deploy new missionaries in the midst of a global pandemic. But by God’s grace and with His help, your sending of missionaries through the IMB has not. even. slowed.
The majority of the 2021 missionaries being sent were presented from behind a screen to conceal their identity because they are going to closed nations.
Future Impact of SBC 2021
While the decisions and statements made in Nashville during the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting have little direct impact on Iowa Churches, it does signal the overall direction the convention is moving. Local church autonomy is still the hallmark of the Southern Baptist Convention and ensures that each local congregation holds full control over their own doctrinal positions and missional efforts. Southern Baptists agree to voluntarily cooperate for the gospel and the expression of this cooperation is in giving through the Cooperative Program.
Next week, we will examine one of the key initiatives to be approved by the messengers to the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting: Vision 2025.
The SBC Alamo
In 1716, Spanish Roman Catholic missionaries established a small chapel in an unexplored and relatively uninhabited piece of land in what would one day become Texas. The nearest Spanish settlement was more than 400 miles away.
By 1744, the mission was home to more than 300 Indians who had converted to Christianity.
It was at this site, in 1836, that one of the most memorable battles in American history would be fought.
Texas was in the midst of a revolution. Settlers from the United States and native Tejanos (Texas Mexicans) started an armed resistance to the rule of the Mexican government, which had become increasingly centralized and authoritarian, eroding away the individual rights and local autonomy of the Texans.
Determined to put down the rebellion, Mexican president and general Antonio López de Santa Anna sent Mexican troops into Texas in early 1836.
On February 23, the first shots were fired at the small Catholic mission now simply known as The Alamo. Over the next 13 days, the small contingent of Texans and Tejanos would be overwhelmed by the Mexican troops and eventually defeated.
Determined to strike terror into Texans, Santa Anna ordered the execution of the remaining troops at The Alamo, but he spared the women, children, and slaves. These survivors were sent to let other Texas settlers know what happened at The Alamo and to warn them to join with the Mexicans in pursuit of peace.
Rather than discourage Texans from pursuing independence, The Alamo became a battle cry--"Remember The Alamo!" Regrouped under Gen. Sam Houston, the Texans attacked the Mexican Army at San Jacinto, and on April 21, 1836, defeated Santa Anna and the Mexican Army.
An Opportunity to Unify
Many Southern Baptists see the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting in Nashville this week as The Alamo for the Southern Baptist Convention.
Set to be the largest gathering of Southern Baptists in a generation, the stakes could not be higher, or more divisive.
The battle lines are drawn and include the issues of ordaining women as pastors, anti-racism and Critical Race Theory, the sexual abuse of children and the mistreatment of sexual abuse survivors, and a redefinition of the Southern Baptist Convention leaning more towards central authority and away from its historic belief in local autonomy.
The hope and prayer is that when people gather together in the same room, there is a graciousness, love, and unity that is not found on social media and in the blogosphere. It is much easier to call someone “woke” or “racist” in a tweet rather when you are in the same room and you see this person as a brother or sister in Christ.
One issue Southern Baptists cannot ignore is its treatment of sexual abuse survivors or communicate an unwillingness to protect the most vulnerable among us.
While the other issues are important, we must be better at articulating what we are for rather than what we are against.
Is the 2021 Annual Meeting the "SBC Alamo?" Only time will tell. In the years ahead, it is my prayer that when we look back at 2021 we see a convention of churches that unified around a common doctrine and a common mission, but not at the expense of one over the other.
The SBC is fundamentally conservative in its historic interpretation of Scripture. I believe this is expressed in the Baptist Faith and Message. At the same time, I do not ignore the fact that there are agents within the SBC who are determined to pull the convention to the left (what they perceive as the middle). This downgrade will spell the end of the SBC as we know it if it is allowed to progress.
Random Thoughts: January 9, 2021
What happened at the US Capital on January 6 was planned. By whom? We don’t know, but it is clearly another step in a grand agenda that was rolled out at the beginning of 2020.
Does it sound like a conspiracy theory to suggest this is all part of an agenda? Perhaps in a different world, but in today’s world, the Globalists are very open about their plans. According to the World Economic Forum, “The Covid-19 crisis, and the political, economic and social disruptions it has caused, is fundamentally changing the traditional context for decision-making. … As we enter a unique window of opportunity to shape the recovery, this initiative will offer insights to help inform all those determining the future state of global relations, the direction of national economies, the priorities of societies, the nature of business models and the management of a global commons. Drawing from the vision and vast expertise of the leaders engaged across the Forum’s communities, the Great Reset initiative has a set of dimensions to build a new social contract that honours the dignity of every human being.”
Speaking of conspiracy theories, many cheered when Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Apple removed Alex Jones from their platforms. Alex Jones is crazy…everyone agreed. Still, there were many who feared that was an ominous sign for freedom of speech in America. Since then, we have witnessed these same platforms use their power to silence political opponents of Joe Biden, sway electors in key states by pushing narratives that favored the Democrats while shadow banning narratives that were negative to Democrats or favorable to Trump. Big Tech banned Alex Jones in one weekend in August 2018; that was only a little more than two years ago. Look at how far things have gone in that short window of time.
Many on the ground at the US Capital on January 6 who had been at the Capital many times previously were immediately surprised at the clear lack of security. Given the nature of the events happening within the Capital (full session of Congress with the Vice President in attendance) and the announced intentions of the pro-Trump rally to march to the Capital, there was a noticeable lack of security. Barricades that have become common place over the last 20 years were not in place. Police that are typically heavily armed guarding the Capital were not to be seen, and in their place were police officers who were lightly armed or not even armed. In the words of one observer, if this wasn’t a setup, then it was the most egregious lack of security in American history.
The immediate response from the media and many elected officials was over-the-top. They called the events of January 6 the most heinous crime against America since September 11. They accused Trump of sedition and inciting riots. They immediately used Cancel Culture to start going after their political enemies.
Clearly, the Left is using January 6 to increase tension and division. If the Left believed January 6 was compelling the US in a direction they did not want to go, they would seek to de-escalate tensions and lower emotions. Instead, they are pouring fuel on the fire.
According to The New York Times, Speaker Nancy Pelosi pressured Military leaders to ignore any orders from President Trump. As the Times article points out, “Mr. Trump, they noted, is still the commander in chief; unless he is removed, the military is bound to follow his lawful orders. While military officials can refuse to carry out orders they view as illegal — or slow the process by sending those orders for careful legal review — they cannot remove the president from the chain of command. That would amount to a military coup, the officials said.”
The whole event on January 6 rings of the infamous Reichstag Fire in Berlin, Germany on February 27, 1933. Less than a month after Adolf Hitler became chancellor, a fire broke out in the middle of the night at the Reichstag, the German parliament building and the equivalent of our US Capital. The government immediately announced the capture of a Dutch communist as the arsonist. The very next day, President Paul von Hindenburg issued a degree “for the Protection of People and State.” The decree removed many of the civil liberties and protections for German citizens thus permitting the police to arrest and imprison without cause. Not surprisingly, those arrested happened to be the political opponents and enemies of the Nazi officials. Here’s the point: revolutionaries use events like January 6 to manipulate public opinion and then harness the power of emotion to quickly move against their enemies.
I believe we are witnessing a revolution.
Truth be told, the Democrats will lose a lot of the public sympathy and support once Orange Man Bad is gone. For another two weeks they can use Trump as a foil and blame him for anything that happens. Once Trump is out-of-office, they will lose the power a common enemy like Trump has given them. This is why the next couple of weeks could be very tumultuous.
If one of our foreign enemies wants to hit America, now is the time.
Forgive me for the comparisons to Germany in 1933, but the rise and fall of Nazi Germany has been an intense point of study and research for me since middle school. I have always been intrigued by the fact that a nation like Germany, which played such an important role in the formation of Western Civilization from 1500 forward could openly support and fight for a regime as evil as the Nazi Party. Keep in mind we are talking about the country that gave us Luther, Beethoven, Schiller, Goethe, Einstein, and many more notables.
Adolf Hitler could not have come to power if not for the reputation and credibility of one man: Paul von Hindenburg. Hindenburg was the 85-year old president who named Hitler Chancellor of Germany in an effort to restore unity to a deeply divided Germany. Old and senile, Hindenburg gave Hitler the credibility and tacit approval of the older generation, many of whom were wary of the young politician and radical. When Hindenburg died at the age of 86 in August 1934, Hitler moved quickly to merge the office of President and Chancellor thus making himself the sole leader of Germany. History doesn’t repeat, but if often rhymes.
What does Joe Biden bring to the table at this time in American history? He brings credibility and the appearance of normalcy to a deeply divided nation. Joe Biden was electable at a time many of the younger, more radical leaders in the Democrat party are not. This is why I do not believe Joe Biden will finish his term as president. He will have served his purpose by carrying the party across the finish line, and they will soon work to replace him. The Congress has already dusted off the 25th Amendment and cleared the path to carry out their plan.
Pastors need to prepare for more division within their congregations. It is impossible to think a country could be as deeply divided as the US and not have it impact the church. We have already witnessed the division a relatively harmless issue like face masks can bring into the church. There are now many issues on the horizon that promise equal, if not more division. At the top of the list? Vaccines. Should Christians get the COVID vaccine or not? There are those out there who are warning the COVID vaccine is the mark of the beast (I don’t believe this), while there is strong suggestion that corporate America is going to prohibit people from buying, selling, or flying without the vaccine.
If you haven’t read the article by Jason Whitlock published on The Blaze, you need to read it.
It is time to move away from social media and Legacy Media. One thing both the Left and the Right agree on is that Big Tech is the enemy of the people. I include Legacy Mass Media in this category, too. What does this mean? You cannot trust Facebook, Google/YouTube, Twitter, ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, NPR, MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, NY Times, Washington Post, or any other media organization that is owned and operated by Corporate America. (Did you know that six corporations own almost all of the media outlets in the United States?) Look for reliable sources in the new media that are not dependent upon Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube to get their message out.
This is also a warning to pastors and churches: one of the unintended consequences of the 2020 pandemic is that it forced most churches to greatly increase their digital footprint. This is good, but churches need to be wise and not build their digital platforms on Facebook or YouTube, both of whom have proven to be unfriendly towards contrarian messages (like many of your biblical stands on issues today). As the old song says it so well, “don’t build your house on the sandy land…”
Yes, I recognize the irony of posting this warning on Facebook. I, too, am looking for alternative ways to stay connected with people. Clearly, based on Google’s decision to ban Parler from its App Store requires that any replacement form of communication must not depend on an app to be viable. Bottom line: own the platform where you publish.
The Challenge Ahead: Religious Liberty
Forced to choose a single word to describe the year of our Lord 2020, it would have to be "unprecedented."
From a global pandemic that shut down the world to a "land hurricane" that left a path of destruction several hundred miles long in the state of Iowa, we have watched many unprecedented events this year.
Like a ship at sea, the church has ridden the rough seas and even found itself in the midst of the storm. For example, churches in some states like California and New York have endured much greater persecution than churches in states like Iowa. These instances of state challenges to religious freedom are not isolated, however, and the trend line points to an increasing loss of religious liberty in America.
Justice Alito’s Warning
Last Thursday, Nov. 12, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito delivered the keynote address to the Federalist Society. The focus of his speech was to issue a warning concerning the loss of religious liberty.
"In certain quarters, religious liberty has fast become a disfavored right," Alito said. "For many today, religious liberty is not a cherished freedom. It's often just an excuse for bigotry and it can't be tolerated even when there's no evidence that anybody has been harmed."
Alito noted how the pandemic in 2020 accelerated efforts to restrict religious liberties and was used as cover to force the closure of churches and houses of worship.
The underlying risk, however, goes well beyond the pandemic. For many places in America, the very existence of religious liberty is a threat. "The question we face is whether our society will be inclusive enough to tolerate people with unpopular religious beliefs," Alito stated.
The Overton Window
Christians need to understand the Overton window named after Joseph P. Overton who defined the theory. The Overton window represents how far a politician can go on policy issues that range from less freedom to more freedom. As the window shifts left or right and grows or shrinks, it defines what is considered popular, acceptable, extreme, or unacceptable.
An example of the Overton window is found in the culture war over marriage. In 1996, Bill Clinton, a Democrat, signed the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman. According to the Overton window, this was the popular move for Bill Clinton to make. In 2008, Barack Obama affirmed the Defense of Marriage Act and supported traditional marriage. Again, the Overton window showed that this was the right political move for Obama. In 2020, however, the Overton window has shifted completely on the issue of marriage and is now much narrower. Few politicians stand for traditional marriage because politically, the issue has gone from popular to unacceptable. Holding to a biblical/traditional view of marriage is not only out-of-sync with cultural views, but is now considered hateful, bigoted, and homophobic.
The Overton window is shifting when it comes to religious liberty. As Alito noted in his address, holding overtly Christian beliefs is becoming more and more unpopular within our culture and is trending towards being unacceptable in many Leftist circles.
Just this past Friday, celebrity Melissa McCarthy and HBO rushed to apologize to offended followers for unintentionally donating $20,000 to Exodus Cry, a nonprofit committed to abolishing sex trafficking. What offense did Exodus Cry commit? They identify as a "Christian organization" and have ties to "anti-LGBTQ and anti-abortion" causes.
McCarthy was quick to apologize to her followers and acknowledged, "we blew it."
In a video released to McCarthy's 8.9 million Instagram followers she stated, "It has come to our attention that our '20 Days of Kindness,' which is something — a kindness that we started to kind of kind of shine a light on 20 great charities — had one in there that, there's no other way to say it, we blew it. We made a mistake and we backed a charity that upon proper vetting, stands for everything that we do not,"
This is just one example from a growing sea of open assaults on religious liberty. As a church, we need to acknowledge the threat that is standing at the door. If you hold to biblically-based doctrine, those beliefs are becoming increasingly unpopular in American culture and are moving quickly towards being unacceptable.
Are You Prepared?
What do you need to do today as you consider the threat facing the church? Here are several starting points:
Start following the Alliance Defending Freedom blog. The BCI has partnered with ADF to fight for religious liberty. Their attorneys are on the front line of the legal battles confronting churches and Christians around the country.
Conduct a thorough review of your church's bylaws and policies. The BCI partners with Brotherhood Mutual to help churches with property and liability risk. When a church faces a legal challenge in the area of religious liberty, it is essential to have up-to-date policies that clearly and accurately define a church's stand on issues. Would your church baptize a transgender person? The time to articulate your belief on this issue is now, not when someone approaches you about being baptized as a man who identifies as a woman. If you haven't defined your belief on this issue in your bylaws, chances are the courts will view your stand as a personal attack on an individual rather than a standing policy. You can find several helpful resources on religious liberty on the Brotherhood Mutual website.
Begin developing and strengthening relationships within your community and with government leaders in your city, county, and state. Religious liberty is threatened on two fronts right now: public opinion and government authorities. As a church, you need to be proactive in developing and strengthening relationships with your community and your government leaders. If all people know about your church is that you are "anti-LGBTQ and anti-abortion," you have lost this battle. If you are known as an active investor in your community and as a church that has faithfully and effectively pastored well beyond your church walls, you will have many more friends and advocates when you find yourself in the crosshairs of someone who is determined to destroy you for your beliefs.
Your religious liberty is at risk. Don't take my word for it. Don't take the word of Justice Alito. Listen to our Lord Jesus Christ. In John 15:18-25 He states,
"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, 'They hated Me without a cause.'
Jesus uses the word "hate" seven times in this single passage; the emphasis cannot be missed. We need to heed His warning and live and act accordingly. Throughout most of church history, true Christians have faced the hatred of the world and the consequences of this hatred.
As Americans, we lived for over 200 years as a people blessed with religious liberty and freedom of speech. Those freedoms are now at great risk and can quickly slip away. We must shepherd well in the coming months as this story continues to develop.
Are You Coaching A Team or Building A Fan Base?
It's that time of the year when we all dig out our annual planning tools and start to look into the next year to set our goals and objectives.
One of the first steps is to review the current year. Umm, if you're like me, I might skip this part. Looking at my plans for 2020 only underscores what a crazy and unpredictable year it has been! Still, with the lessons learned from 2020, we can begin to cautiously look forward into 2021.
As you review your goals and objectives, let me challenge to try and see your plans through the eyes of a regular church member. Will they read your 2021 goals and objectives as a game plan they will play a part in, or will they see it as a game the pastor and staff will play as they watch and cheer you on?
One of the most valuable illustrations I heard this year came from a Masterclass by The Unstuck Group on “Beyond Coping: How to Lead Change & Reach More People.”
The online class featured an interview with Pastor Derwin Gray of Transformation Church in South Carolina. This illustration underscores a major paradigm shift many pastors need to make if they are going to see their church transition from a Sunday morning, program-oriented church to a disciple-making church. Read this illustration carefully:
Game Day vs. Team Meetings
Derwin Gray is founding pastor of Transformation Church in South Carolina. Prior to becoming a pastor, Gray played football with the Indianapolis Colts and the Carolina Panthers.
Saved at 26-years of age, Gray's life before Christ was football. He spent his time on practice fields, in locker rooms, in weight rooms, at team meetings, traveling to games, and, of course, games. He had coaches that helped him in his specific role on the football team, and the sole goal of these coaches was to prepare him to the best of their ability to play the game of football to the best of Derwin's ability.
When he became a Christian and God called him into ministry, he knew he wanted to bring this same mindset into his ministry philosophy. He knew he didn't want to spend time trying to please the crowd, his goal was to help his team--the church--play the game. In this case, the game they were playing was the gospel and the goal was making disciples.
This is the philosophy that is the foundation of Transformation Church. Sunday is not game day. Sunday is the team meeting. The people who come to church are not the fans, they are the players. The pastors and staff are the coaches and their role is not to play the game while the crowd watches, but to prepare the players to play the game to the best of their abilities. The players require different kinds of coaching, but all players need to be a part of the team (a Christian), understand the goal of the game (making disciples), and be as physically, mentally, and spiritually healthy as they can possibly be in order to play to the best of their ability.
This is a paradigm shift for most church leaders: Is Sunday morning team practice or is it the game? Where do you spend your time? Are you preparing to play the game or are you learning how to coach people to play the game? Do you see your church as the crowd watching you play the game, or are they the players being equipped to go into the world and play the game?
Annual Planning & Coaching the Team
Make sure you understand the difference underscored in this example. Honestly, it goes against the grain of how most pastors and churches are wired today.
Survey 100 pastors and I wager the vast majority would identify themselves and the church staff as the team they are thinking of when they sit down to begin their annual planning.
Ask yourself these questions. When you read a goal or objective:
who will accomplish this in the coming year?
who is the active agent? Is it a staff member or staff team or is it the congregation?
when a church member reads the goal, will they think, “I want to be a part of this” or will they assume this is a staff member who will be responsible?
Sometimes you can’t answer these questions simply because you are too close to the details. It is helpful to have what Will Mancini calls a “Strategic Outsider,” someone who comes from outside the organization and is not tainted by all the inside noise that creates a strategic myopia. In fact, Mancini argues that every church needs a Strategic Outsider as a key part of their toolbox.
Recently, I sat through a presentation by David Nelms highlighting the work of The Timothy Initiative among unreached people groups. The model of church planting they employ works with astounding success in the regions of the world where they minister, but by David’s own admission, it probably can’t work in America. There are several reasons, but one that struck me relevant to this conversation is the paradigm TTI follows overseas. The people they work with are players, not fans. Built into their training curricula is the expectation that a disciple will in fact find and disciple others. You don’t pass the course without accomplishing this goal.
There is no advantage to converting to Christianity in a Muslim country to sit in church on a Sunday morning and watch a worship service. The persecution is real and the risks are great…too great to simply live as a fan of the local church to check-off your church attendance on Sunday morning and go on to live your life like everyone else in your village. You join “the team” by becoming a Christian in order to play the game, which is to be a gospel influence and teach others to be followers of Jesus Christ.
Brothers and sisters, we need to change the paradigm for how we view church in America. If we are to see a disciple-making movement, we can’t devote our time to prepping for the crowd on Sunday, do our gig, take up an offering, and then send folks home. We need to focus our planning, our goals, and our objectives in a way that communicates the challenge and the risk in front of us. We need players, not fans. We need church members willing to give more than an hour a week and a financial gift. We need Sunday morning to be the team meeting, not game day.